Ihop

A woman walks in and sits on the long boothlike seat in the lobby of the International House of Pancakes. Grey hair peeks out around the edges of her red turban. Even without the headwear, she still has a regal bearing. A waitress spots her. "Willie, your table's not ready yet." Wow, she has her own table. Frank Sinatra and Dorothy Parker had their own tables -- OK, that was the Big Apple and this is Hampton, but still you wonder what rates this treatment. It's simple.

This week I reached out for a Bacon & Egg Cheeseburger, which is finally getting some notice at America's all-night flapjack-flipper, IHOP, with 1,433 restaurants in all 50 states. IHOP quietly introduced the Bacon & Egg Cheeseburger in 2006 but only now is running national commercials for the unlikely combination of breakfast and lunch fare. And that's IHOP's quandary: Is the Bacon & Egg Cheeseburger for breakfast? Or for lunch? And where does it go on the menu?

Williamsburg entrepreneur Lakis "Lucky" Florakis, who has been operating a local hotel under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since 1990, has filed for bankruptcy protection for another of his properties, the Southern Pancake House. But the Richmond Road restaurant remains open, and plans are under way to convert it into an International House of Pancakes. Southern Pancake House filed for bankruptcy protection in Newport News' U.S. Bankruptcy Court May 20. This week, Florakis' son Demetrios, who is a stockholder in the restaurant, won approval to convert it into an IHOP franchise, a spokeswoman for IHOP said Friday.

Celebrate breakfast's silver anniversary To celebrate its 25 years, the Belgian Waffle & Steak House in Newport News is offering a week of giveaways, including free food, gift certificates and a chance to win a limousine ride to the eatery. The restaurant is known for serving breakfast all day, and owner Chris Christou is adding a few items to his menu, including a peanut butter and banana waffle ($5.85), banana nut pancakes ($5.85) and a Greek omelet ($6.65). The eatery also has a sandwich and steak menu that includes a smokehouse burger ($5.95)

Celebrate breakfast's silver anniversary To celebrate its 25 years, the Belgian Waffle & Steak House in Newport News is offering a week of giveaways, including free food, gift certificates and a chance to win a limousine ride to the eatery. The restaurant is known for serving breakfast all day, and owner Chris Christou is adding a few items to his menu, including a peanut butter and banana waffle ($5.85), banana nut pancakes ($5.85) and a Greek omelet ($6.65). The eatery also has a sandwich and steak menu that includes a smokehouse burger ($5.95)

This week I reached out for a Bacon & Egg Cheeseburger, which is finally getting some notice at America's all-night flapjack-flipper, IHOP, with 1,433 restaurants in all 50 states. IHOP quietly introduced the Bacon & Egg Cheeseburger in 2006 but only now is running national commercials for the unlikely combination of breakfast and lunch fare. And that's IHOP's quandary: Is the Bacon & Egg Cheeseburger for breakfast? Or for lunch? And where does it go on the menu?

A West Point woman who feels she was discriminated against at a local International House of Pancakes restaurant last year has filed a federal lawsuit seeking $850,000 in damages. In the suit, Kristie Ross, who is black, claims IHOP manager Georgia Owen denied service to her and cousin Sheena Washington when they arrived at the Richmond Road restaurant about 1:30 a.m. March 10, 2007. Ross alleges Owen told her that "you people don't know how to act." She also claims she witnessed other black patrons being turned away from the restaurant, while white patrons were seated and served.

Rita: You seem to have a penchant for printing pictures of losers. Its been going on for a long, long time and I'm sorry now I haven't kept a list. For years, you've shown Tiger Woods agonizing over a missed putt and there's another one Saturday. Not long ago there was that lady golfing champion at Kingsmill who was devastated because she didn't make the cut. More recently there were pictures of two high school girls brokenhearted over losing some game. I find your attitude bordering on the sadistic.

An eating contest in Newport News is no record-setter, but it's a challenge all the same. So tell us, Martin Doyle, how do you feel after stuffing all the pancakes you can in your mouth for three minutes straight? "Uh-h-h-h-h," is Martin's reply. An understandable response, after the 12-year-old from West Point finished competing in a pancake-eating contest Monday evening at the IHOP restaurant in upper Denbigh. The contest, a promotional event put on by the local IHOPs and UPN Channel 27, drew a big crowd to the Warwick Boulevard restaurant.

The 18th century triumphed over the 21st century Tuesday, when some workers at Colonial Williamsburg made it to work the old-fashioned way - by walking - while nearly everything around the town stopped. Employees living nearby trudged to work, and the Historic Area stayed open until 2:30. With tourists staying in three of Colonial Williamsburg's hotels, folks still wanted to see the sights. An outdoor tour about the lives of blacks in the 18th century went on in the morning as planned.

A West Point woman who feels she was discriminated against at a local International House of Pancakes restaurant last year has filed a federal lawsuit seeking $850,000 in damages. In the suit, Kristie Ross, who is black, claims IHOP manager Georgia Owen denied service to her and cousin Sheena Washington when they arrived at the Richmond Road restaurant about 1:30 a.m. March 10, 2007. Ross alleges Owen told her that "you people don't know how to act." She also claims she witnessed other black patrons being turned away from the restaurant, while white patrons were seated and served.

Rita: You seem to have a penchant for printing pictures of losers. Its been going on for a long, long time and I'm sorry now I haven't kept a list. For years, you've shown Tiger Woods agonizing over a missed putt and there's another one Saturday. Not long ago there was that lady golfing champion at Kingsmill who was devastated because she didn't make the cut. More recently there were pictures of two high school girls brokenhearted over losing some game. I find your attitude bordering on the sadistic.

An eating contest in Newport News is no record-setter, but it's a challenge all the same. So tell us, Martin Doyle, how do you feel after stuffing all the pancakes you can in your mouth for three minutes straight? "Uh-h-h-h-h," is Martin's reply. An understandable response, after the 12-year-old from West Point finished competing in a pancake-eating contest Monday evening at the IHOP restaurant in upper Denbigh. The contest, a promotional event put on by the local IHOPs and UPN Channel 27, drew a big crowd to the Warwick Boulevard restaurant.

A woman walks in and sits on the long boothlike seat in the lobby of the International House of Pancakes. Grey hair peeks out around the edges of her red turban. Even without the headwear, she still has a regal bearing. A waitress spots her. "Willie, your table's not ready yet." Wow, she has her own table. Frank Sinatra and Dorothy Parker had their own tables -- OK, that was the Big Apple and this is Hampton, but still you wonder what rates this treatment. It's simple.

The 18th century triumphed over the 21st century Tuesday, when some workers at Colonial Williamsburg made it to work the old-fashioned way - by walking - while nearly everything around the town stopped. Employees living nearby trudged to work, and the Historic Area stayed open until 2:30. With tourists staying in three of Colonial Williamsburg's hotels, folks still wanted to see the sights. An outdoor tour about the lives of blacks in the 18th century went on in the morning as planned.

An argument outside the International House of Pancakes on Jefferson Avenue in Oyster Point early Thursday ended with a Newport News man shot twice. The man, whose name police would not release, was hit once in the hip and once in the chest, according to Officer Pete Edgette, police spokesman. He was in stable condition Thursday afternoon at a hospital. The shooting occurred shortly after 4 a.m. Two groups of people had been in the restaurant eating when they began arguing over an undisclosed issue, Edgette said.

It happens almost every November. As the holiday shopping season approaches, law enforcement officials brace for an increase in armed robberies and property crimes. The criminals have gotten a jump start in Hampton. Officers investigated 12 business robberies between Nov. 1 and the day before Thanksgiving, said Sgt. Jeff Walden, Hampton police spokesman. And that number doesn't include the robberies of at least three pizza drivers. The jingle of cash registers at crowded malls and shopping centers creates more opportunities and targets for robbers and thieves, police say. Although the total represents a slight decrease over last year's 17 robberies in the same Nov. 1-25 period, the number is the second highest since 1993 when robbers struck 10 Hampton businesses, Walden said.

A bullet fired during a robbery at International House of pancakes narrowly missed an employee Tuesday night, police said. Twelve to 14 customers were in the restaurant at 1002 West Mercury Blvd. about 10:30 when two masked gunmen went to the counter and demanded money, said Detective Sgt. Myron Bittenbender. As the pair waited for the money, one of them fired his pistol into a wall. "No one was hurt, but the bullet went close to a clerk's head and it shook her up," Bittenbender said.

It happens almost every November. As the holiday shopping season approaches, law enforcement officials brace for an increase in armed robberies and property crimes. The criminals have gotten a jump start in Hampton. Officers investigated 12 business robberies between Nov. 1 and the day before Thanksgiving, said Sgt. Jeff Walden, Hampton police spokesman. And that number doesn't include the robberies of at least three pizza drivers. The jingle of cash registers at crowded malls and shopping centers creates more opportunities and targets for robbers and thieves, police say. Although the total represents a slight decrease over last year's 17 robberies in the same Nov. 1-25 period, the number is the second highest since 1993 when robbers struck 10 Hampton businesses, Walden said.

A bullet fired during a robbery at International House of pancakes narrowly missed an employee Tuesday night, police said. Twelve to 14 customers were in the restaurant at 1002 West Mercury Blvd. about 10:30 when two masked gunmen went to the counter and demanded money, said Detective Sgt. Myron Bittenbender. As the pair waited for the money, one of them fired his pistol into a wall. "No one was hurt, but the bullet went close to a clerk's head and it shook her up," Bittenbender said.